


Jehan the Master Smith and Xantius of Aegina Make a House Call

by Just_Another_Day



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Bondage, Exhibitionism, Fluff, Humiliation, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, POV Outsider, Post-Canon, implied BDSM
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-23 23:54:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16628909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_Another_Day/pseuds/Just_Another_Day
Summary: "Never fear, Exalted," Jehan said cheerfully. "We'll have you out of those in no time."





	Jehan the Master Smith and Xantius of Aegina Make a House Call

**Author's Note:**

  * For [liesmyth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liesmyth/gifts).



> So I happened upon [this old comment thread](https://archiveofourown.org/comments/176486529), and that was a Mistake, because then there was this. I suppose it's technically a sequel to Take and Give, but it can definitely stand alone (and probably should, because it's pretty different in tone!). Credit for the idea and the title go to l_cloudy. I just gave it the life it was never supposed to have. I managed to forget about this for months, but you got me in the end! For better or worse, this is what can apparently happen if you play along with me in the comments sections of my fics.

"Well that was a great deal of unnecessary hassle!" Jehan huffed as the guards _finally_ let them pass, pointing the way for the two of them to head down the hallway to the royal apartments. 

Xantius said something in Akielon. Jehan thought he caught the word for 'danger'.

"Well yes, obviously they have to protect the Kings from two strangers bearing sharp tools. But an entire hour of background checks? Seems excessive."

Xantius shrugged. He did that a lot. And nodding, and shaking his head, and other types of basic gestures. Jehan didn't mind, because at least he _understood_ the meaning of those things, unlike the majority of what Xantius actually said. It had seemed like a good idea at the time to take on an Akielon apprentice, since Xantius's presence tended to encourage more Akielon customers to approach them when they were on this side of the border. And Jehan liked to think it was probably the mixture of Akielon and Veretian in their partnership that had caught the Kings' eyes and led to them calling on Jehan and Xantius for assistance today. 

As befitted his position as the master. Jehan preceded Xantius into the room once their arrival was announced and verbally acknowledged. So he was the first to see what they would be working with.

"Never fear, Exalted," Jehan said cheerfully. "We'll have you out of those in no time." 

The moment he peered past Jehan's shoulders and spotted the Kings himself, Xantius immediately dropped to the ground, almost as though he needed to so penitence. As if he'd done something wrong. As though they were intruding, somehow, rather than being here on the Kings' invitation. Jehan still didn't understand these strange Akielon traditions sometimes. Xantius was bowing so deeply his nose was almost pressed against the marble, the way Jehan had sometimes seen some of the freed slaves do when they forgot themselves and fell back on old habits. 

It was clear Xantius had been brought up short by the sight of what was before them. Jehan could see why. What had possessed the Kings to use such a poor-quality metal? Or made any smith in his right mind think he could provide it to them in the first place, knowing those abominations masquerading as manacles might touch royal wrists? It was an affront. Xantius clearly agreed, based on the way he refused to even look in the direction of the horrible things. Even King Damianos seemed embarrassed to be seen in them. It was simply unacceptable, as far as Jehan was concerned.

King Laurent leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed, and gave Jehan a silent stare that Jehan took to mean 'well get to it then'.

Most of Jehan's attention ended up on the shackles he was working to remove, of course – he was a professional – but he did occasionally find his eyes drifting downwards as well. How could he not when he had to lean over King Damianos's nude body to get to his targets? There were bunched sheets gathered just down past King Damianos's feet, and any number of plump pillows both at the head of the bed and scattered around the floor, presumably flung aside in a fit of 'athleticism'. And yet none of those items had been shifted to cover any aspect of King Damianos's glorious body. Obviously, King Damianos couldn't have done so himself, with his hands suspended above his head, but King Laurent might have given him a hand.

Well, Jehan mentally corrected himself, he might have given him a hand with _that_ in particular. It was clear King Laurent's hands could not have been entirely idle before he and Xantius had entered the room. Not with King Damianos still so _impressively_ on display despite how long they'd been waiting on the blacksmiths.

Jehan personally didn't blame King Laurent in the slightest for wanting to keep all of _that_ available for easy viewing, regardless of their current company. And as emotionless as he might appear at first glance, it was very clear to Jehan that King Laurent was definitely enjoying the scenery. But Jehan had thought Akielons were more prudish about that sort of thing. King Damianos's red face would suggest he was. 

Xantius certainly was as well, Jehan knew, more was the pity. There were times when Jehan could really use his help modelling samples of some of their more intimate creations, and it just lacked authenticity and selling-power when it was done over the top of his clothing, minimal though the Akielon idea of 'clothing' may be. Jehan looked away from both the metal and the bed for a moment to survey Xantius speculatively. Was that near-shapeless white sheet he wore all the time hiding a body that was even a fraction as well-formed as King Damianos's clearly was? Jehan might have been more insistent about him acting as a model for their customers had he known that.

Xantius was holding back from approaching the bed still, Jehan noted. At this rate, he might as well not have come to the palace at all. And to make it worse, he said something to the Kings; a long chain of Akielon linked together in a way that Jehan didn't understand. 

King Damianos looked positively mortified by it. King Laurent continued to look almost as unaffectedly regal as Jehan had ever seen him from a distance, but Jehan noticed he raised his hand to carefully press his fingertips to his lips. It made Jehan wonder if there might be some possibility that he was holding in a smile, or even laughter. Or, Jehan thought suddenly, it could equally be that he was trying not to show anger through the flat line of his mouth.

Jehan's heart raced, half-panicked. If Xantius had said something untoward, it would of course reflect poorly on Jehan as his master, and therefore on Jehan's business. They could hardly afford for the Kings to criticise their services. There would be nowhere in two kingdoms that would offer them work then. So Jehan looked to King Laurent beseechingly and asked, "I'm sorry, what did he say?"

The Kings shared a look with each other.

"He apologised for your delay in arriving," King Laurent claimed. King Damianos's expression silently declared him a liar. Jehan wouldn't have dared look at him like that, but he supposed that was the freedom offered by being a king himself.

"Oh of course!" Jehan said with a nervous laugh. "Yes, you have my sincerest apologies as well. Though I must say, there was quite a delay with your guards insisting on checking us over multiple times and asking all sorts of seemingly unrelated questions." After a moment's pause, Jehan realised what that must have sounded like. "Not that it isn't natural that they should want to be careful! I'm not blaming them, of course."

"Of course not. I'm sure King Laurent's guards were just acting on his instructions to take as _long_ as necessary to do a thorough check," King Damianos said. Practically muttered, really. It was lucky his Veretian was so good, because otherwise Jehan might not have been able to understand him, so low was his voice cast. 

He wished Xantius spoke Veretian as well as King Damianos. Or at all. It would have made things so much simpler. And it wasn't like Xantius didn't seem to _understand_ the language fairly well, after all. Jehan privately maintained that Xantius was just embarrassed about how it sounded in his heavy Aeginian accent. He didn't really need to be. Jehan wouldn't have laughed. Much.

King Damianos was eventually freed from his confinement. Jehan noticed that his now-loose hands reflexively reached for the sheets before stopping. He looked to King Laurent. His hands slowly fell to his sides, as though with great effort. He flexed them, probably to get the blood flowing again. They must have been trapped for quite some time.

"Would you like me to remove those chains from the wall entirely?" Jehan asked. He looked between them both, though he had the sneaking suspicion it was really only King Laurent's opinion he should be asking for. "We have much better-quality products that we would be happy to send along samples for. Something a little simpler to slip out of if the key should happen to disappear again, perhaps?" Jehan paused, then added. "Or more difficult. Whatever you prefer."

"Leave it for now," King Laurent said. With a quick look at King Damianos, he added, "My guards have your contact details. I'm sure we could consider arranging something mutually beneficial in the future."

Jehan bowed when they were finally dismissed, though nowhere near as low as Xantius did. Before they slipped out the door, Jehan caught sight of King Damianos covering his pinkened face while King Laurent reached out to trail his fingers over his husband's now-bare wrist.

Jehan had the feeling that wrist might not remain bare for too long.

"What fool made those shackles? Such a silly design," Jehan griped once he was sure they were out of the Kings' earshot. It would be unprofessional to disparage his competitors directly in front of his customers, but honestly, it needed to be said. "Obviously His Majesty can't be expected to have to keep track of some tiny piece of metal that's entirely separate from the device! And the key probably would have been useless anyway, given the state of that lock. I really will have to get in touch about providing the Kings with something more suitable."

Words burst out of Xantius in a rush, as though he'd been barely containing them the whole time they'd been in that room.

"You know I don't understand you when you talk so quickly," Jehan sighed.

The very Veretian-looking guard who was showing them out of the palace said, grinning, "He said that he thinks King Laurent might have lost the key to the manacles on purpose."

Jehan frowned. "Really? But what a silly thing to say! Clearly the Kings have better things to do than to wait around on blacksmiths."

"I don't know about that," said the guard, "since you're the fourth blacksmiths they've had in here this week alone."

Jehan shook his head. "Now that _really_ makes no sense. Why would they do that?"

The guard gave a sly smile. He looked like he was about to say something to explain, but Jehan interrupted him before he could.

"I mean, honestly, why call on a different blacksmith every time when I would have happily given them a discount for repeat custom!"


End file.
